Fluid atomizer



Jan. 3o, 196s K. FLURY V365,8612

` FLUID ATOMIZER Filed Oct. '7, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l 5 Z7 y #Q75- /7 iW INVENTOR ATTORNEYS United States Patent Gil ice FLUID ATOMIZER KarlFlury, Zurich, Switzerland, assignor to Defensor, Zurich, SwitzerlandFiled Oct. 7, 1965, Ser. No. 493,649 Claims priority, applicationSwitzerland, Oct. 14, 1964,

1 Claim. (Cl. 55-230) This invention relates to a liquid atomizer forhumiditying the air.

It is an object of this invention to provide a box or container with anopening on its upper side, a bracket and a water container arranged insaid box. Also an atomizer is provided which is mounted with its outsidepart in an upper opening of the box, whereby the bracket has a loweropening covered with a iilter through which opening a fan or blower ofthe atomizer aggregate sucks in the necessary air for atomization andtransportation ofthe atomized liquid and blows out the atomized liquidcontaining air mixture through exhausting hoods or caps. Also a duct isprovided enclosing the exhausting hoods and attached on the upper sideof a circular outside element of the atomizer unit, with an additionalblower arranged opposite to the openings of the exhausting hoods for theproduction of an air stream to carry the mist.

Further objects of the invention will become apparent from the followingdescription when considered in connection with drawings which showschematically several designs by way of example of the objects of thisinvention and in which:

FIG. l is a sectional view of the liquid atomizer,

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the liquid atomizer according to FIG. l,

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a liquid atomizer with the air duct as a modiedstructure,

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the liquid atomizer according to FIG. 3 with ajoint drive for two blowers, and

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a non-revolvable air channel and a wall.

On a wall 1, a box or casing 2 is mounted as a support bracket. The box2 has on its upper side a circular opening 3, and on the bottom side ofthe box 2, there is an opening covered with a filter plate 4. The filterplate 4 has a very tine mesh so that air streaming through it will bewell cleaned. In the box 2, there is a water container 5 to which hasbeen attached a feed pipe 6 with a ioat valve 7 and a drainage pipe 8.

A motor driven centrifugal liquid atomizer unit 9 has been inserted withits circular outside element 20 into the opening 3 of the box 2 and hasbeen rotatably mounted around an axis 33 in relation to the fixed box orcasing 2. The atomizer unit 9, which is of known design, has a suctionpipe 10 extending into the water container 5, an opening 11 for theentry of air and two exhaust hoods 12 located in parallel, one besidethe other (FIGS. l and 2). Each exhaust hood 12 has two openings 13 and14, FIGS. l and 2. The water drawn into the atomizer through the suctionpipe 10 passes through the atomizing elements 10b and the air sucked inby the fan 19 passes in the direction of the arrow 15 through the filterplate 4 and the opening 1=1, move as a mist-air mixture according toflow paths 16 through the unit 9 and emerge from the two openings 13 andthe two openings 14, along ow paths 17, FIGS. l, 2. Condensation of themist occurring in the unit 9 flows back through pipe 18 into the watercontainer 5, FIG. l.

On the upper side of the circular outer rim element 20 of the unit 9, aduct 21 has been attached, consisting of side walls 22 and 23, a bottomplate 24, a cover plate 25 and of a rear end wall 26, FIGS. 1 and 2. Theexhaust 3,365,862 Patented Jan. 30, 1968 hoods 12 are entirely enclosedby the duct 21 and there is only one open front wall 27 of the duct 21.Inside of the duct 21, an additional blower 28 is provided which hasbeen placed between the end wall 26 and a distributor 29 which will letthe air pass therethrough. The wall 29 may consist of a grid or screenor of a metal sheet equipped with openings and it serves for an evendistribution of the air that is forced therethrough, by the blower 28.This latter air ows along ilow paths 30 through the end wall 26,consisting of a sheet of metal with holes and through a part of the sidewalls 22 and 23 which also consist of sheets of metal with holestherein. The air which had been evenly distributed through the wall 29flows in ow paths 31 along the exhaust hoods 12, out of the front end 27of the duct 21. Between the walls 22-26 and 29 enclosing the additionalblower 23, there have also been provided walls 32 which conduct andguide the air, FIGS. 1 and 2. The air current moved by the blowers 28because the metal sheets 22, 23, and 26 equipped with holes acts ascoarse iiller, and moves only through the duct 21, not through theatomizer unit 9. The cross section of the openings in the wall 29, isgreater than the space allowing the air to pass through the wall 26, sothat an increase of air pressure cannot occur in the space between thesetwo walls.

One separate motor each, not shown, is provided for the blower 19 of theunit 9 and for the additional blower 28 arranged in the duct 21. Theblowers 19 and 28 can each be switched on separately, and if bothblowers 19 and 28 are switched on, then the quantity of air moved by theblower 28 will be a multiple of the quantity of air moved by the blower19.

According to FIG. 3, the side walls 22 and 23 and the end wall 26 of theduct 21, will consist of a metal sheet with holes therein, serving as acoarse filter. The side walls of the duct `21, however, are fitted withdouble walls 23, 35, 22 and 34 and the additional side walls 34 and 35run angularly in relation to one another. The wheels of the additionalblower 28 are located more closely, one near the other, and the air issucked in in flow paths 30. A wall 36, which will allow the air to passthrough and which is equipped with means to distribute the air, issmaller than the wall 29 in FIGS. l and 2. The other constructionelements of the device according to FIG. 3 correspond to the deviceaccording to FIGS. l and 2.

In the case of the device according to FIG. 4, the additional blower 28has been connected by means of a belt 37 with the motor of the unit 9.Therefore, no separate motor is required for the blower 28.

ln FIG. 5, the atomizer unit 9 and the duct 21 attached to it does notswing around an axis in relation to its locally fixed carrying bracket,as is the case in the structures of the device according to FIGS. 1 4.

The rear end wall 38 of the duct 21 merely has an opening 39 passingover into the Wall 1 and will be in connection with this opening 39, forexample, with some other spaec or with the open air in order to have asupply of fresh air.

If the unit 9 with their duct 21 can be swung around the axis 33, FIG.l, then it will be possible to blow the mist-air mixture, coming fromthe device, in various directions into a room or space. In the case ofthe device which cannot be turned, according to FIG. 5, it is possible,for example, to suck in the fresher air of some other room through thefan ZS and to blow it in a humidiiied state into a room with air.

Because of the double air current, by means of the blower 28 and theblower 19, it will only be necessary for a small quantity of wellpurified air to flow through the unit 9, in order to produce a mist.About of the total air moved by the blowers 19 and 2S will come throughblower 28 and will serve as a carrier for the mist coming from the unit9. The 10% of the total air moved by the blower 19 will be very wellpurified because of the filter plate 4, which will result in a long lifeof the unit 9 because there will be little pollution.

1 claim:

1. An apparatus for humidifying air, comprising a casing having verticalside walls and generally horizontal top and bottom walls, said top wallhaving a circular opening therein, a container supported within saidcasing in spaced relation to said casing walls, a motor drivencentrifugal liquid atomizer unit rotatably supported on the rim of saidcircular opening, said unit having a vertical axis of rotation, saidunit further comprising a housing including an open-ended portionextending downwardly into said casing adjacent said container and a hoodportion extending upwardly from said opening, liquid atomizing and airmoving means enclosed within and spaced from the walls of said housing,said atomizing means including a suction means adapted to extend intoliquid in said container and including liquid atomizing elements adaptedto disperse atomized liquid into the space between said atomizing meansand the housing, an air inlet opening in the bottom wall of said casing,a filter completely spanning said inlet opening, a horizontal open-endedduct including an opening in the bottom wall thereof, said duct havingsubstantially imperforate walls, said duct being mounted on said rim andhaving the opening in the bottom wall registering with the opening inthe top wall of the casing, said hood portion extending into said ductthrough the opening in the bottom wall of the duct, said hood portioncomprising a plurality of generally parallel hoods extending towards oneend of the duct each having an opening at the end thereof a motor drivenblower mounted at the other end of the duct, and a perforated screenWall intermediate the blower and the other end of the duct.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,819,423 8/1931 Knowlton et al126-113 2,154,263 4/1939 Carrier 55-2301X 2,212,418 8/1940 Hamann126-113 `2,591,057 4/1952 Feldermann 261-91 2,826,398 3/1958 Norris261-91 X 3,044,752 7/1962 Flury 261-91 X 3,148,964 9/1964 Flury 55-2303,158,457 11/1964 Whiteld.

3,188,007 6/ 1965 Myklebust 55-230 X 3,205,641 9/1965 Jamison et al.55-236 X 3,229,450 1/1966 Stern 55-230 X HARRY B. THORNTON, PrimaryExaminer.

B. NOZICK, Assistant Examiner.

1. AN APPARATUS FOR HUMIDIFYING AIR, COMPRISING A CASING HAVING VERTICALSIDE WALLS AND GENERALLY HORIZONTAL TOP AND BOTTOM WALLS, SAID TOP WALLHAVING A CIRCULAR OPENING THEREIN, A CONTAINER SUPPORTED WITHIN SAIDCASING IN SPACED RELATION TO SAID CASING WALLS, A MOTOR DRIVENCENTRIFUGAL LIQUID ATOMIZER UNIT ROTATABLY SUPPORTED ON THE RIM OF SAIDCIRCULAR OPENING, SAID UNIT HAVING A VERTICAL AXIS OF ROTATION, SAIDUNIT FURTHER COMPRISING A HOUSING INCLUDING AN OPEN-ENDED PORTIONEXTENDING DOWNWARDLY INTO SAID CASING ADJACENT SAID CONTAINER AND A HOODPORTION EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID OPENING, LIQUID ATOMIZING AND AIRMOVING MEANS ENCLOSED WITHIN AND SPACED FROM THE WALLS OF SAID HOUSING,SAID ATOMIZING MEANS INCLUDING A SUCTION MEANS ADAPTED TO EXTEND INTOLIQUID IN SAID CONTAINER AND INCLUDING LIQUID ATOMIZING ELEMENTS ADAPTEDTO DISPERSE ATOMIZED LIQUID INTO THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID ATOMIZING MEANSAND THE HOUSING, AN AIR INLET OPENING IN THE BOTTOM WALL OF SAID CASING,A FILTER COMPLETELY SPANNING SAID INLET OPENING, A HORIZONTAL OPEN-ENDEDDUCT HAVING AN OPENING IN THE BOTTOM WALL THERROF, SAID DUCT HAVINGSUBSTANTIALLY IMPERFORATE WALLS, SAID DUCT BEING MOUNTED ON SAID RIM ANDHAVING THE OPENINGS IN THE BOTTOM WALL REGISTERING WITH THE OPENING INTHE TOP WALL OF THE CASING SAID HOOD PORTION EXTENDING INTO SAID DUCTTHROUGH THE OPENING IN THE BOTTOM WALL OF THE DUCT, SAID HOOD PORTTIONCOMPRISING A PLURALITY OF GENERALLY PARALLEL HOODS EXTENDING TOWARDS ONEEND OF THE DUCT EACH HAVING AN OPENING AT THE END THEREOF A MOTOR DRIVENBLOWER MOUNTED AT THE OTHER END OF THE DUCT, AND A PERFORATED SCREENWALL INTERMEDIATE THE BLOWER AND THE OTHER END OF THE DUCT.